The coin was designed, submitted to the board for approval, and then ordered. They were to arrive some time in September at which point the coin committee was going to begin the roll out plan beginning in early October. When we learned the coins would not be here for the fall event, I and others thought we would have more time for a proper rollout, but did not know when that would be. At the last minute, the family members of the distributor stepped up and got us the coins Thursday before the event, something none of us expected, and catching us totally off guard. Faced with the choice of the Fall Event in two days or a Pizza Event in Ortonville for the rollout, the decision was made to reveal them in two days at the fall event.

We wanted to do many of the things we hear you all saying. We just thought we’d have more time to prepare once they arrived. Three days before the event, I thought they were still in China. Knowing that the Fall Event was the largest gathering of the MnGCA membership at an MnGCA event we’d see between now and the Spring Event, the decision to offer them at the Fall Event was made.

The order was placed in early July when we were told delivery would be in about 6 weeks, but by October 1 for sure. The committee thought we’d have plenty of time to prepare the rollout once they arrived, but that was not the case. We apologize for not meeting everyone’s expectations, and hope future committees can learn from our failures. Folks are scrambling to get done what needs to be done to get the coins in the hands of the membership. We appreciate your patience and understanding and truly hope you enjoy the new coin._________________Ahhhhhhhh, the power of cheese!

Thanks for the update NOSNOW, and for your legwork to get the coins to Minnesota on time.

All points have been taken, and lessons learned.

We have a healthy turnover in this organizaion. The downfall of this turnover is that oftentimes when someone becomes proficient at a certain aspect, they move on to other things. Those who are proficient need to be used as a resource when possible, but at some point the new people need to take the bumps and learn on their own. Short of hiring paid staff to administer, I think this is and will be a recurring issue.

We are very fortunate that we have some key people who have not turned over. In this case the webmasters. The webmasters were put into a spot where we asked for an online form ASAP, and they are volunteering their time, without complaint, to get it done.

(Minor correction to RudeRat's point- Order was made in early August, not July. Regardless, several weeks of buffer was built in for unforseen circumstances. Good thing too, as the unforseen was realized.)

I received my coins and love them! So fast too - I received them two days after ordering them. I have a preference toward the gold, but the black zinc has a neat effect with the dark colors of the night scenes. I love the 'effect' of the light of the lighthouse and flashlight.

I'm glad to have them in my collection. Thanks to those involved in making it happen.